DAVIS, Calif. --The UC Davis men's soccer team will host the Capital City's newest professional franchise in a friendly match, welcoming the United Soccer League's Sacramento Republic FC to the Aggie Soccer Field on Sunday, March 16, at 4 p.m.

A limited number of tickets remain on sale through the UC Davis Ticket Office. Fans can purchase online via the tickets link at ucdavisaggies.com, in person at the ticket office from Noon-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, or by calling 530-752-1915. Tickets are priced between $4 and $7, but are free to UC Davis students until the stadium capacity of 1,175 is reached.

The match is one of two public preseason contests that the Republic will play before opening their campaign on March 29 at the L.A. Galaxy II at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Sacramento, which opens its home schedule on April 26 at 7:30 p.m. against the Harrisburg City Islanders at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Sacramento City College, plans to play its home matches at the yet-to-be-constructed 8,000 seat stadium on the California State Fairgrounds.

This summer marks the inaugural season for the Sacramento Republic FC, which was founded in 2012, but will begin play in the USL PRO division beginning this season. The league features 14 franchises -- with expansion teams in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Tulsa, Okla., slated for 2015 -- that work in partnership with those in Major League Soccer. The Republic has an affiliation with both the San Jose Earthquakes and the Portland Timbers at the MLS level.

Republic FC is unbeaten in its preseason schedule thus far, having posted exhibition wins over Sacramento State (6-0), UC Santa Barbara (6-1), and the Ventura County Fusion (3-2), heading into its March 5 exhibition against the Earthquakes.

UC Davis is coming off a season in which the Aggies finished 9-9-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the Big West Conference, finishing second in the league's North Division and reaching the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling to eventual tournament champion -- and NCAA "Sweet 16" participant -- UC Irvine.